Results 1,781-1,800 of 2,078 for speaker:Mary Seery Kearney

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (30 Jan 2024)

Mary Seery Kearney: I wish to be associated with the remarks on John Connor. My sympathies go to his family on the shock and suddenness of his loss which no doubt will be a terrible tragedy to his family and friends and all those who knew him. Over recent days that most elusive of things has occurred, that being that X actually managed to take action on an event that broke its community rules. It was an...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Assisted Dying: System for Assisted Dying and Alternative Policies: Discussion (30 Jan 2024)

Mary Seery Kearney: I thank all the witnesses. I am keenly aware that for some of them it is way past midnight at this point so I thank them for their participation. Professor White refers to safety in a lot of what he says. For the purposes of our record and our discussion, it is important for us to begin by defining what safety means and what Professor White means by it because, depending on our various...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Assisted Dying: System for Assisted Dying and Alternative Policies: Discussion (30 Jan 2024)

Mary Seery Kearney: Not at all. It is no criticism. It is just for all of us to be on the same page.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Assisted Dying: System for Assisted Dying and Alternative Policies: Discussion (30 Jan 2024)

Mary Seery Kearney: That brings me neatly to my consideration of safety from the perspective of our being before legislation or even before articulating a view back to our Parliament in our recommendations. The safety I consider involves things like the robustness of consent. There are other areas we are legislating for at the moment - surrogacy, for instance - and we look for counselling in advance for all...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (31 Jan 2024)

Mary Seery Kearney: I extend my welcome to the group here with the President of Tynwald, the honourable Laurence David Skelly. They are all very welcome to this Chamber. I rise to ask the Leader a question regarding the schedule of debates in this House. On 14 December, we saw Second Stage of the Health (Termination of Pregnancy Services) (Safe Access Zones) Bill. The Bill has completed its passage through...

Seanad: Criminal Justice (Engagement of Children in Criminal Activity) Bill 2023: Second Stage (31 Jan 2024)

Mary Seery Kearney: I thank the Minister of State and he is very welcome to the House. I also welcome this Bill about which we have spoken on a number of occasions. The fact is that depending on where you are lucky or unlucky enough to be born, and the family into which you are born, you either have a lifetime of opportunity rolled out in front of you, with parents, families and networks supporting a life...

Seanad: Criminal Justice (Engagement of Children in Criminal Activity) Bill 2023: Second Stage (31 Jan 2024)

Mary Seery Kearney: Next Tuesday.

Seanad: Family Carers: Motion [Private Members] (31 Jan 2024)

Mary Seery Kearney: I move: “That Seanad Éireann: acknowledges that: - family carers provide a vital contribution in our society by the provision of care for their loved ones; - family carers provide this care at considerable personal cost in terms of their own lives and choices; - in 2020, the Irish Health Survey showed that there were over 500,000 family carers in Ireland and of that,...

Seanad: Family Carers: Motion [Private Members] (31 Jan 2024)

Mary Seery Kearney: Is that an allegation?

Seanad: Family Carers: Motion [Private Members] (31 Jan 2024)

Mary Seery Kearney: How do I follow that? Well done. I am very proud to have worked with Deputy Rabbitte as Minister of State with responsibility for disabilities and I absolutely stand by her. There is real ambition here. There is an understanding of what should be and what can be. There is no point in anybody standing up here and pretending that things can be fixed overnight but they can be set on a route...

Seanad: Death of Former Taoiseach: Expressions of Sympathy (7 Feb 2024)

Mary Seery Kearney: It is an incredible honour to speak about John Bruton and to say he was the leader of my tribe. Senators McGahon and Ahearn have spoken about that sense of family in our party. Before I was a member of Fine Gael, I admired John Bruton as a politician and a man of great integrity, intellect and conviction. He gave hope to a generation of us who came out of school with very little hope, very...

Joint Committee On Children, Equality, Disability, Integration And Youth: Protection of Children in the Use of Artificial Intelligence: Discussion (13 Feb 2024)

Mary Seery Kearney: That is great. I thank the witnesses. The content this afternoon has been fascinating. When I first came into the Oireachtas, I used to feel that if I raised issues like this, people would look around and wonder where my tinfoil hat was because my thinking seemed so catastrophic. I have been on a campaign to have no smartphones. I do not believe children should have smartphones. I...

Joint Committee On Children, Equality, Disability, Integration And Youth: Protection of Children in the Use of Artificial Intelligence: Discussion (13 Feb 2024)

Mary Seery Kearney: Yes. It is.

Joint Committee On Children, Equality, Disability, Integration And Youth: Protection of Children in the Use of Artificial Intelligence: Discussion (13 Feb 2024)

Mary Seery Kearney: Des Hogan and Dale Sunderland.

Joint Committee On Children, Equality, Disability, Integration And Youth: Protection of Children in the Use of Artificial Intelligence: Discussion (13 Feb 2024)

Mary Seery Kearney: Yes, they were announced this afternoon.

Joint Committee On Children, Equality, Disability, Integration And Youth: Protection of Children in the Use of Artificial Intelligence: Discussion (13 Feb 2024)

Mary Seery Kearney: In movies from the 1950s, the promotion of smoking was so blatant that how prevalent it was is shocking now to the senses. A journey had to happen to say it was dangerous and that had to be proven in court and so on. I think we need regular warnings on social media to say this is an issue for mental health but getting to that place, whether through litigation or otherwise, has to happen in...

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Feb 2024)

Mary Seery Kearney: I thank the Cathaoirleach and welcome our guests. The Order of Business is No. 1, motion re the earlier signature of the Coroners (Amendment) Bill 2024, to be taken on the conclusion of the Order of Business, without debate; and No. 2, on the Supplementary Order Paper, motion regarding the Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2024 (Section 4(2)) (Scheme Termination Date) Order 2024, to...

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Feb 2024)

Mary Seery Kearney: Senator Maria Byrne raised the peculiarities of BusConnects, wherein there are great opportunities but also peculiar omissions. I have great sympathy with the Senator and completely support her need to advocate for the provision of a bus service. What would appear to make total sense does not always translate into the plans. This has been my experience of BusConnects in Dublin. I urge the...

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Feb 2024)

Mary Seery Kearney: The matter was in the High Court. It had to be brought there. It is not the case that it just suddenly appeared out of nowhere. That did not happen.